BCCF E-MAIL BULLETIN #82 To subscribe, send me an e-mail ([email protected]) or sign up via the BCCF (www.chess.bc.ca); if you no longer wish to receive this Bulletin, just let me know.

Stephen Wright

[Back issues of the Bulletin are available on the above webpage.]

2005 CANADIAN CHESS PLAYER OF THE YEAR by David Cohen

Mark Bluvshtein, 17, a Toronto Grade 12 student and chess International Grandmaster, was voted 2005 Canadian Chess Player of the Year. This is the second year in a row Bluvshtein has won the award.

In 2005, Bluvshtein tied for first place at the Canadian Open Chess Championship in Edmonton, Alberta. Bluvshtein also won the Canadian Under-18 Year-Old Chess Championship in Victoria, British Columbia; and finished tied for 3rd place at the World Under-18 Year-Old Chess Championship in Belfort, France.

Chess journalists representing newpapers and chess magazines across the country were asked to vote for the #1, #2 and #3 Canadian Chess Player of the Year for 2005.

Voting method:

1st place vote - 5 points 2nd place vote - 3 points 3rd place vote - 1 point

Voting results (10 of 11 invited journalists responded):

Mark Bluvshtein (Toronto, Ontario): 23 points Nikolay Noritsyn (Richmond Hill, Ontario): 17 Alexander Ugge (Keswick, Ontario): 11 Tomas Krnan (Oakville, Ontario): 8 Zhe Quan (Richmond Hill, Ontario): 8 Sebastian Predescu (Ottawa, Ontario): 1

Highlights of Canadian chess player accomplishments in 2005:

Mark Bluvshtein - Tied for first place at the Canadian Open Chess Championship; won the Canadian Under-18 Year-Old Chess Championship; and tied for 3rd place at the World Under-18 Year-Old Chess Championship.

Tomas Krnan - Made two qualifying Norms (3rd and final, plus an extra one!) towards the International Master title.

Nikolay Noritsyn - Made two qualifying Norms towards the International Master title in back-to-back tournaments.

Zhe Quan - Made 3rd and final qualifying Norm towards the International Master title.

Kevin Spraggett (Portugal) - Continued excellent international results, including strong finish at Pan-American Championship (0.5 points from advancing to World Cup).

Shiyam Thavandiran (Toronto, Ontario) - Canadian Junior Chess Champion with a score of 8.5/9; at age 12 (Grade 6), the youngest to ever win the title.

Alexander Ugge - Qualified for the Correspondence International Grandmaster title; qualified for the World Correspondence Chess Championship finals.

Canadian Chess Player of the Year - List of Winners

2005 Mark Bluvshtein 2004 Mark Bluvshtein 2003 Pascal Charbonneau

For more information on chess in Canada, please contact: Chess Federation of Canada: http://www.chess.ca

Compiled by David Cohen: [email protected]

Canadian Chess (additional info): http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~bw998/canchess.html

Mark Bluvshtein biography: http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~bw998/canchess.html#BLUVSHTEIN Canadian Chess Player of the Year: http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~bw998/Champions.html#PLAYER

PAUL LEBLANC IN ONTARIO Victoria resident Paul Leblanc recently tied for first in the U2000 Section of the Oktoberfest Open, held in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario (my old stomping gounds!) on the weekend of October 14-16. Congratulations! http://www.chess.ca/xtable.asp?TNum=200510164

BACKTALK by Dan Scoones

When analysing quiz positions published in chess books and magazines, I like to keep an eye peeled for refutations and alternate solutions. Many times I think I've found something, but then it turns out there is a flaw. But not always -- take a look at this position and see what you can find:

Tischbierek-Vegh, Budapest 1983; White to play and win Black's king is under pressure and short of squares but White is a piece down with three pieces hanging. Obviously, he must act quickly. Here is the solution as given by Florian in Informant 36: 1.Rxe7!! Kxe7 If 1...Rxh8 2.Rfxf7+ Kg8 3.Rg7+ Kf8 4.Rcf7 mate 2.Qf6+ Kd6 3.Rd1+ Kc5 Or 3...Kc7 4.Qe5+ Qd6 5.Qxd6 mate -- DS 4.Qd4+ Black resigned. Very nice, although 4.Qe5+ wins more quickly, as the reader can verify. In my opinion a move deserves two exclamation marks if it is particularly brilliant or (especially) if it is the only way to win. In this case a single exclam is more appropriate because there is another way for White to bring home the point: 1.Qxh7! This threatens 2.Qxf7 mate and so restricts Black's choice of replies. Now 1...f5 doesn't work on account of 2.Qxe7 mate, so that leaves only: 1...Rg7 2.Qh8+ Rg7 3.Qh5! This threatens mate on f7 yet again and Black has only one defence. 3...Rg7 Both 3...f5 and 3...f6 fail to 4.Qe8+ followed by 5.Qxe7+ and 3...Rg6 fails to 4.Qxg6. 4.Rxf7+! A thematic deflection combination. 4...Kg8 Taking the rook (with 4...Rxf7) loses immediately to 5.Qh8 mate. 5.Rxg7+ Kxg7 6.Rxe7+ White mates next move regardles of Black's reply. I think that in a practical game, and especially if White happens to be short of time, the alternate solution is much better because it involves more common tactical patterns and thus there is less chance of error. I don't know about you, but I find diagonal crossfire harder to visualise than crossfire along ranks and files. A matter of taste or of specific learning? I don't know. Here is another position for analysis. Before reading past the diagram, try to decide what you would do as White.

Marco-Salter, Vienna 1900; White to play and win This position appeared in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Middlegames: Combinations, which was published by Chess Informant in 1980. Our hero Georg Marco was one of the greatest annotators of the nineteenth century, with a number of fine tournament books to his credit. However, his play in this game, while pretty, was not as accurate as it might have been: 1.Bb5!(?) Qxb5? This is far too compliant. Black can muster something of a defence with 1...Nxf4!? 2.gxf4 Qe6 3.f5 Qh6. He should still lose after 4.Qxh6 gxh6 but there is a lot of technical work remaining for White. 2.Ne7+ Kh8 3.Qxh7+! Kxh7 4.Rh1 mate By the way, this mating pattern is known as Anastasia's mate. The official story is that it first appeared in an 1803 novel entitled Anastasia and Chess, but apparently this attribution resulted from an error by a later authority. It's time to take another look at the diagram. Is there something stronger for White? 1.Rh1! f6 Forced. If 1...h6 then 2.Nf6+ wins the queen since 2...gxf6 allows 3.Qxh6 and mate next move. 2.Qxh7+ Kf7 3.g5! 3.f5 is also good but the text is simpler. 3...Rg8 Or 3...fxg5 4.Bh5 mate. 4.gxf6 Kf8 There is no defence against White's attack. All other moves allow 5.Bh5+ Kf8 6.f7 and wins. 5.Ne7! Qxe7 Black must surrender his queen, since 5...gxf6 fails to 6.Qxg8+ Kxe7 7.Rh7+ Ng7 8.Rxg7 mate. 6.fxe7 White has a queen against Black's rook, and from where I'm sitting his technical task looks a lot simpler than it did after 4...gxh6 in my note to Marco's analysis above. Finally, here is a more clear-cut example, again from the Encyclopaedia of Chess Middlegames: Combinations.

Mirzoyan-Shileyev, USSR 1973; White to play and win First, the solution as given in ECM: 1.Rxh7 Qxg3 If 1...Kxh7 then 2.Rh1+ Kg8 3.Qh2 mates quickly. 2.Rdh1 Bxf6 3.R1h3! Qg4 4.Rfh4! Qd7 5.gxf6 Nxf6 6.Rh8+ Kg7 7.Bh6+ Kxh8 9.Bg7+! Black resigns. Very nice, but I have three corrections to offer. After 2...Bxf6 White's operation to drive Black's queen to d7 is completely superfluous. Simpler and stronger is the immediate 3.gxf6! since after 3...Nxf6 there follows 4.Rh8+ Kg7 5.Bh6+! as in the game. Black cannot prevent this. After 1.Rxh7, Black can stave off mate for quite awhile with 1...Qxd1+!? followed by 2...Kxh7. That alone should induce White to look for something stronger (see the next note.) In the diagram position, what could be simpler than the immediate 1.Qh2? Black is forced to play 1...h5, but then White has 2.Be2 Qd7 3.Nxh5! If Black does not capture on f6 next move, then White plays 4.Ng7 and mates soon thereafter. And if Black does capture on f6, he still gets mated quickly. I have enough examples of this sort of thing to fill a book. Don't tempt me!

SILVER STAR CLASSIC

This weekend will see the running of the annual Silver Star Classic in Vernon. Long the Interior qualifier for the B.C. Championship, this tournament has occurred on the Remembrance Day weekend for the past twenty years. The guiding force behind this string of events has been Wally Steinke; many thanks, Wally, for all you hard work and service to the chess players of the Interior. Here is a list of previous winners of the tournament. Note: due to a mix-up at Counterplay the 1994 event was advertised for two different weekends, and was duly held - twice!

2004 Sumon Chai Phonchiangkwong, Petr Labik 2003 Gerhard Neufahrt, David Moore, Frank Veszely 2002 Laszlo Tegzes 2001 Pascal Charbonneau 2000 Alex Davies 1999 Jack Yoos 1998 Alex Davies 1997 Valerian Adam, Jim Ferguson 1996 Gerhard Neufahrt, Francisco Cabanas, Alex Davies, Chris Kuczaj 1995 Ian Higgs 1994 Luc Poitras, Wally Steinke 1994 Robert Brewster 1993 Francisco Cabanas 1992 Carl Storey 1991 Pierre Gladu, Francisco Cabanas 1990 Paul Brown, Carl Storey 1989 Mau-Seng Lee 1988 Gerhard Neufahrt 1987 Gerhard Neufahrt 1986 Carl Storey 1985 Carl Storey 1984 Paul Brown

2006 BRITISH COLUMBIA CORRESPONDENCE CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP Presented by Chess First! Enterprises, BC’s online chess store www.northshorechess.com Start date: January 1, 2006 Format: round robin for upto 15 players, BC residents only Type of play: ICCF web server. This is the future of correspondence chess! No need for e- mails, reflection time is calculated automatically down to hours, cross-tables and games are displayed for public access Membership: Canadian Correspondence Chess Association (CCCA) membership is NOT required but players are encouraged to support the CCCA by joining! Ratings: the event is ICCF rated; unrated players will be assigned provisional ratings Entry fee: $20 ($18 covers CCCA fees for webserver events) Prizes: 1st $50 + ChessBase training CD 2nd-5th one copy each of ChessBase magazine Extra Tournament Director: ICCF Arbiter and IM Valer Eugen Demian Registration and additional info: Vas Sladek, 604-562-3736, [email protected] Chess First! Enterprises Suite 408-1641 Lonsdale Avenue North Vancouver, BC V7M 2J5 Related links: International Correspondence Chess Federation (ICCF): www.iccf.com ICCF web server: www.iccf-webchess.com Canadian Correspondence Chess Association (CCCA): http://correspondencechess.com/ccca/ Chess First! Enterprises: http://www.northshorechess.com/

Silver Star Classic (BC Closed Qualifier) Date: November 11-13 Site: Best Western Vernon Lodge 3914 32nd St. 545-3755 Type: 6 round Swiss Fee: $35, $30 sen., $25 junior. (must be CFC member or pay $15 extra). First time ever players can play for reduced entry. Time: 30/90 SD/60 Start Times: 11:00 am, 4:00 pm; 10:00 am 4:00 pm; 10:00 am, ASAP. Registration: 10:00 - 11:00 Friday Nov. 11. TD & Org. Wally Steinke 250.545. 6677 The Vernon Lodge site has a great closed inner courtyard which makes it ideal for a family holiday as well as a pleasant place for a chess tournament. Room rates at the Vernon Lodge are $81 up to 4. Next door at the Hillside (ph 549-1211) and the Midway (ph549- 1241), rates are $49 single, $59 double.

2005 BC JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP Date: November 11-13, 2005 Place: Vancouver Bridge Centre, 2776 East Broadway (at Kaslo), Vancouver Rounds: 5 Sections: Championship (1500 and above) Reserves (1000 - 1500, or at T.D.’s discretion) Times: November 11, 6 pm; November 12 and 13, 10 am and 3 pm Type: Regular Swiss Time Control: 30/90, SD/60 Entry Fee: Championship Section $35, Reserves $25; $10 discount for additional players from same family Prizes: Championship Section: financial support in connection with the Canadian Junior Reserves: cash prizes Registration: in advance (recommended - e-mail the organizers) or at site 5:15 - 5:45 pm Tournament Director: Stephen Wright For more information please contact the organizers: Katherine Davies: 604-266-5842; e-mail: [email protected] (cell phone: 778- 882-7139) Stephen Wright: 604-221-7148; e-mail: [email protected]

UPCOMING EVENTS

Junior Events

Nov. 11-13 BC Junior Championship, Vancouver Nov. 20 Island Junior Open #3 (Victoria) Nov. 20 Vancouver Junior Open Dec. 10 BC -WA Scholastic Match, BCIT Dec. 11 Greater Victoria City Championship See http://www.chess.bc.ca/juniorevents.html

UBC Tuesday Night Swiss Date: Tuesdays Location: Room 211, Student Union Building, UBC Format: 5-round Swiss Time control: 2 hours sudden death Time: 6:30 sharp Entry fees: $15 for adults, $12 for juniors and UBC club members, $10 under 1100 (excluding unrated) TD info.: Aaron Cosenza, 604 327-4714, [email protected]

Jack Taylor Memorial Date: November 26-27 Site: Room 108, Clearihue Building, University of Victoria Format: 4 Rounds, 10:00 and 4:00 with the last Round ASAP Entry Fee: $30.00 and $20.00 for Juniors. TC 40/2, game/1 Contact: Lynn Stringer at 250 658-5207 or [email protected]

WA Class Championships and Chess Festival, Bellevue Date: November 26-27 http://www.nwchess.com/calendar/WA_Class_flyer_2005.pdf